An accountant who took part in a panel discussion with Ivanka Trump believes the 'first daughter' can be a positive influence on her father Donald during his presidency of the United States.

Stephanie Bschorr appeared alongside Trump and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the W20 summit in Berlin last month. The focus of the summit was the role of women in the work place, and Bschorr says Ivanka can make her voice heard in the White House on women's issues.

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"I have a slight hope she might have an influence on her father and change his perspective on some issues," said Bschorr, who was in Cambridge to speak at the IAG conference, a network of English speaking lawyers, accountants and tax advisors at independent practices around the world, which was held at the Doubletree Hilton.

"She sold herself very professionally and came across sincerely. I'm not so sure about her motivation for being a part of politics, but I think she might be able to have an influence in other surroundings as part of the family, and lay the groundwork for changes that are needed in the US. I left with a little bit of hope."

Bschorr addressed the Cambridge conference, hosted by city law firm Birketts, on the issue of promoting and retaining the best female talent. She is president of the Association of German Women Entrepreneurs, and says legislation needs to change if the working world is to become more equitable.

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"In Norway, parental leave has to be shared, with the father having to take at least 30% of it or you lose some benefits," she said. "A lot of young fathers want to be play an equal part in bringing up their children, but need some legal basis to push them in the right direction."

Clare Hedges, senior associate at Birketts in Cambridge, added: "61% of lawyers in the Uk are female, but when it comes to partner level that number drops to 22%. At Birketts we've see this as an issue for a few years and are undertaking a diversity initiative to identify some of the reasons and help ensure we can make the most of the talent we have."